Rusty maintains over 3000 gallons of freshwater aquariums where he successfully raises and breeds predominantly Cichlids and livebearers.
Rusty's specialty is Central American fishes. He has taken his hobby to a point where he successfully collected fish from the countries of Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, from 1983 to the present, he has taken over 30 collecting/exploration trips. Considered by many to be the ultimate collector, he has introduced many new species of fish to the aquarium hobby. If it lives in the water, chances are that Rusty has either caught it or been bit or stung by it. A beautiful and elusive Cichlid discovered during one of his expeditions to Honduras was named after him by Dr. Robert Rush Miller, emeritus professor of the University of Michigan, in the June 1996 edition of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, Theraps Wesseli.
Additionally, Rusty is a prolific author and photographer. His writings and photographs have appeared in a wide distribution of specialized publications, like Aquarium Fish Magazine, Aquarist & Pondkeeper, Buntbarsche Bulletin, Cichlid News, Ad Konings' Cichlids yearbooks, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium and Tropical Fish Hobbyist.
In the organized hobby, Rusty is currently the "Convention liaison" and "Back issue Sales Person" for the American Cichlid Association and a speaker participant for the ACA/Marineland Speaker's Program. Additional posts held include chair of the ACA board of trustees (1990) and convention chair (1992). The philanthropist in Rusty has guided him as an active solicitor for the "Guy Jordan Endowment Fund" (A fund set up under the ACA to grant endowments for Cichlid research). Rusty has been awarded with the greatest honor the American Cichlid Association gives to its distinguished members, the ACA fellowship in 1997. On the local level, he is currently the treasurer for the Louisville Tropical Fish Fanciers.
Rusty has lectured and judged numerous fish shows throughout the United States, including the annual "Florida Tropical Fish Farmers" show and several ACA conventions.